ATB’S IN UPCOMING STAKES
2017 Texas Champion 3-Year-Old Colt Durocher (Niagara Causeway – Trench Cat) will compete in a field of 14 for the $125,000 Claiming Crown Emerald Stakes for 3-year-olds and up going a mile and a sixteenth on the turf at Gulfstream Park on Saturday. The now 4-year-old stakes winner was bred by La Bahia Stud Inc. and runs for the partnership of Sterling Racing LLC, John Herzberg, Michelle Allan and Alan Benson. He has a career record of 18-5-0-5 with $145,388 in earnings, and has been given odds of 30-1.
2019 STALLION SEASON AUCTION
The second round of bidding in the TTA’s online auction of 2019 stallion breedings is now open and will close at 5pm Central on Thursday, December 13.
Check out the list of available stallions at https://texasthoroughbred.com/stallion-register/online-stallion-auction/ and take advantage of the opportunity to purchase at special prices. New listings have recently been added and are still being accepted.
Many thanks to donors and purchasers!
TTA BOARD OF DIRECTORS ELECTION
Ballots for the TTA Board of Directors election were mailed on November 1 with a receipt deadline of December 15th. There are six candidates vying for five at-large seats and two candidates for the single-seat representative of the North East Region. Those elected will serve 3-year terms from 2019 – 2021.
If you are a current TTA member and did not receive a ballot, contact Mary in the TTA office at 512.458.6133.
Do not miss this opportunity to support the candidates of your choice!
AHC’S UNWANTED HORSE COALITION TRANSITIONS TO NEW NAME AND FOCUS
The American Horse Council’s Unwanted Horse Coalition (UHC), formed in 2006 to bring attention to the issue and challenges of unwanted horses, will be renamed and rebranded as the United Horse Coalition.
The changes reflect the industry’s unity around the importance of aftercare and the progress and extensive resources that have come to fruition since the UHC’s inception. The UHC’s new mission statement reads, “Through industry collaboration, the UHC promotes education and options for at-risk and transitioning horses.”
The UHC will refocus its services by redesigning its website as a single source to help horse owners learn about resources and options available to place horses in need of new homes. The website also will provide information to potential adoptees including how to adopt, best practices when adopting, places horse are available for adoption, and owning responsibly.
RACING AND ACCREDITATION DEADLINES APPROACHING
Don’t be a procrastinator! Get the jump on December 31 accreditation and racing deadlines:
1) December 31, 2018 is the deadline for accrediting yearlings (foals of 2017) at the TTA member rate of $200 ($250 for non-members). The fee to accredit foals of 2017 AFTER December 31, 2018 but by December 31, 2019 is $750 for TTA members ($800 for non-members).
2) Be sure that mares that will foal in Texas in 2019 are Texas accredited and that ATB race fillies have been converted to breeding stock before they foal to automatically be eligible for ATB breeder awards. You may email the mare’s name to me and I will verify the status. The fee to accredit a mare before she foals is only $75. NOTE: If a mare is not accredited before she foals, the only way to be eligible for ATB breeder awards on that foal is to pay a supplemental mare accreditation fee in the amount of $150 during the year of foaling.
1) December 31, 2018 is also the deadline to nominate eligible foals of 2018 to the Texas Stallion Stakes Series for $100,
2) Nominate eligible foals of 2017 (not previously nominated) to the Texas Stallion Stakes Series for $500,
3) Nominate foals of 2017 that passed through the ring at the 2017 Texas Summer Yearling & Mixed Sale or the 2018 Texas Summer Yearling & Mixed Sale and foals of 2017 that are consigned to and pass through the ring at the 2019 Texas Thoroughbred 2-Year-Old in Training Sale, as well as any Accredited Texas-bred foals of 2017 nominated via original consignor or buyer berth to the 2019 Texas Thoroughbred Sales Futurity ($100,000 est. per division), and
4) Nominate accredited stallions that will be standing in Texas in 2019 to the Texas Stallion Stakes for the 2019 breeding season.
Remember: Foals by stallions nominated to the Texas Stallion Stakes for the season in which those foals were conceived need not be foaled in Texas to be eligible for the Texas Stallion Stakes Series.
All deadline dates are email, fax or postmark dates. Forms are available at https://texasthoroughbred.com/texas-bred/forms/.
NOTES: Out of competition testing is a subject of ongoing discussion in many states, and has not yet been implemented in Texas. An excellent article on the subject may be found at https://www.paulickreport.com/news/the-biz/ohio-racetrack-vets-offer-guidance-on-out-of-competition-testing/… Texas recently lost two legendary horsemen: John T. L. Jones Jr. and Robert McNair. We recognize them for their contributions to horse racing and breeding, and offer our condolences to their families.